


The Good, The Bad, And The Lovely

by tinynerdlet



Series: ST: TNG Episode Based Drabbles [2]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Developing Relationship, Holodecks/Holosuites, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2016-09-14
Packaged: 2018-08-15 00:13:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8034478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinynerdlet/pseuds/tinynerdlet
Summary: Events take place during and after episode 6.08, A Fistful of Datas.Deanna Troi, Worf, and Alexander ended up trapped on the holodeck in a program based around the Ancient West. All of the villains take on Data's appearance, though none of them seem to act like Data. During the final shoot out, another familiar face appears. This one says more about Data than any of the others do, and it raises questions that Deanna really wants answered.





	The Good, The Bad, And The Lovely

**Author's Note:**

> [See Story On Tumblr](http://spoopynerdlet.tumblr.com/post/150393967338/star-trek-tng-drabble-adventures-episode-608)

Deanna walked away from the sheriff’s office and Worf five minutes before the trade was supposed to take place. If the holodeck program wasn’t so lethal, and so full of Datas, excitement would have increased her pace. Instead her steps were normal, careful, and her eyes shifted across the dirt covered road. Not one vacant soul left a western-style building. No one dared walked the street with her. She was grateful. It gave her a chance to ease onto the back of a wagon and hide under the covering. And that’s where she waited.

It took a few minutes before she heard a door open and close to her left. It came from the sheriff’s office. There were footsteps crunching against the dirt on either side of her. They stopped after a few seconds. Wind passed by. A bird hollered. Then footsteps started again. The set coming from Deanna’s right were light, childlike, and obviously Worf’s son, Alexander. The other was heavier, heartier. No doubt they came from Eli Hollander who somehow stole Data’s face in the time she, Worf, and Alexander entered the holodeck. Both sets of footfalls were slow, rhythmic.

A door opened out of time with the steps to her left. She kept low. They had a plan. She didn’t want to ruin it and get anyone killed.

“Eli, get down!” a voice to her right yelled. It belonged to one of the Datas -- the one who took the form as Frank Hollander.

“Alexander!” Worf called.

Frantic footsteps scuffled against the dirt on both sides. Then there were shots. Six of them. They all originated from Frank. A revolver, no doubt. After the shots there were three clear clicks. He’d run out of bullets. And the odds were Worf was still standing. The shield had worked. But it was done working. She heard it fritz out. A step came after that -- one that sounded like a knock on wood. Deanna sat up in the wagon and cocked her shotgun at the man who owned the last footfall.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said, a western accent coating her words.

The man turned. It was another Data. The program didn’t have a name for this one. At least not one that Deanna learned. It didn’t matter.

“Senor Frank!” another voice called. Deanna glanced up and across the street. Another Data -- one that sported a sombrero and black mustache -- tossed a revolver from the roof of a building. She would have shot him, but it was too late. The revolver fell into Frank Hollander’s hand. A gun fired. The gun ejected from Frank’s fingers and landed somewhere behind him.

Deanna’s eyes flicked to Worf. A revolver was firm in the Kingon’s hand. Silence fell.

“Go ahead,” Frank finally said, “Shoot me.”

Worf cocked his revolver.

“Wait!”

The new voice called from Frank’s side. Deanna glanced over expecting yet another Data to emerge from the alley the voice emanated from. Instead, a woman traipsed across the street, the back of her red dress dragging in the dirt. Once she was in front of Frank, she stopped and turned.

It was Geordi La Forge.

At least the face and VISOR looked like Geordi’s. It was clear by his longer hair, which curled into a natural, tight afro, that it wasn’t actually Geordi. No. This was a hologram replacement, just like all the Datas.

“Sheriff, I know my Frankie’s done some bad things, but he ain’t a bad man,” the image of Geordi said, “Let ‘im leave alive and we won’t ever enter your town again. Please.”

Deanna looked back at Worf. The surprise was clear on his face. She didn’t even have to feel it. No doubt her surprise was just as visible. But his surprise drained quickly. Just as quickly as his gun lowered. After a second, he nodded.

“Let’s go,” Frank said.

Deanna watched three Datas and a Geordi walk out of sight before she hopped from the wagon and jogged to Worf’s side. They walked into the saloon together. Alexander was waiting for them.

* * *

 

After asking a few times, the computer finally shut down the program. Deanna felt Worf’s gratefulness without a trace of confusion. She wasn’t content on leaving that holodeck experience behind without an explanation. As she walked to her quarters, she reached out to Geordi La Forge via communicator. He answered immediately.

“I want to report a problem with the holodeck,” Deanna said.

“What kind of problem?” Geordi asked over the communicator.

“Well, Lieutenant Worf and I were on the holodeck and the villain characters we were interacting with all became Data. When we tried to shut down the program, it wouldn’t let us.”

“That probably had something to do with the interface experiment Data and I were trying to run,” Geordi said, “We plugged Data into the Engineering computer in hopes that we could use him as an emergency backup in case there was a ship-wide systems failure. It didn’t work out so well. It replaced the entire library with his poetry and the music files with the music he’d been studying recently. We just fixed all those problems, so it’s possible the holodeck is fixed as well, but I’ll take a look at it, just in case.”

“Is this the first time you’re hearing about the holodeck problem?”

“Yeah, why?”

Deanna paused. A small smile curled onto her lips.

“It’s probably best if we talk about that later. Can you come by my quarters when you have the time?”

“Sure, Counselor. I’ll come by as soon as I’m done checking the holodeck.”

Deanna only had to wait about thirty minutes. She’d taken the time to check her schedule for the next day and record her personal log. Sharing her experience on the holodeck was far more exciting than she originally thought it would be. She was almost giddy by the time Geordi rang her door chime.

“Come in,” she said.

Geordi emerged. She felt his calmness and also, just barely, his confusion.

“The holodeck’s working fine now,” Geordi said, “The only Data I saw was the one I took in there.”

“That’s good,” Deanna answered, “Please, have a seat.”

They both sat down, Deanna in her chair and Geordi on the couch.

“I asked you about the holodeck problem because you also appeared as a character in the program.”

“I did?” Geordi asked. Deanna nodded. “Did anyone else?”

“No, just you and Data.”

Geordi sighed and looked at the floor.

“Well, Data and I are close. If the characters in the program started to look like Data, I guess that me showing up wouldn’t be too unusual.”

“I would have thought that too. But you actually appeared as a love interest to the main villain, Frank Hollander, who took on Data’s face.”

Geordi’s face jerked up. Deanna could feel the confusion in him swell like a tidal wave. That and a small trace of warmth. It wasn’t happiness. Not quite that light. No. It was hope.

“If it hadn’t been for your character, it’s possible that Worf would have shot Hollander,” Deanna continued.

“So... my character was there just to save him?” Geordi asked.

“I suppose so. I didn’t see the character anywhere else in the program. Neither did Worf.”

Geordi looked at the floor again. The confusion lingered but the hope swelled. Deanna leaned forward.

“Maybe you should talk to Data about this. I’m sure he would be more than willing to clarify how he feels about you.”

“He’ll probably just tell me that androids don’t have emotions,” Geordi said. She felt the hope drain a little.

“Are you sure?”

There was a pause. Then the hope swelled up again. She wasn’t sure what triggered it but there was something there, a memory maybe.

“Go to him,” Deanna asked.

Geordi stood.

“I will. Thank you, Counselor.”

He left before she could say, “You’re welcome.”


End file.
